Those of you who know me well are aware that my sister is also a writer. Her name is Candace Simar and she has written a series of three books (another on the way) of historical fiction about the Sioux uprising. She also writes a weekly devotional, Sweet Honey From the Rock. Please visit Candace’s website to learn more about her books: www.candacesimar.com. This week Candace’s devotional is all about writing down your “wisdoms” for the next generation. I think it is a great idea, something our children and grandchildren will treasure. Be sure to include the things you have learned from your parents and grandparents. These are valuable lessons. Let’s not lose these pieces of wisdom, but let them live on for future generations. If you...

I just finished reading a blog post by one of my favorite bloggers, Hope Clark. She posted a rant about how she hates writing prompts and believes that writers should be professional enough to come up with ideas on their own. (See the blog post at http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/.) I often tell my students about the moan I give out whenever I hear the words writing prompt. I have a love/hate relationship with them. When given a writing prompt, I always feel pressure to produce something wonderful. And I often have. In fact, some of my best writing has been produced under pressure with one of those dreaded prompts. Prompts can be valuable to the memoir writer, dredging up memories that have been forgotten. They can also be valuable to the fiction writer, helping the...